A Fish Out of Water

…way out of water

There is so much out there in the world that I could only dream of witnessing, and may or not ever get the chance. The furthest (or farthest?) I’ve been from home was in Florida way back when I was four years old. I’ve never been outside the country and the chances of that ever happening are very slim unless I won the lottery tomorrow and persuaded my family to get over their fear of flying in planes.

But in the realm of fantasy, I can always go on any adventure I want. The imagination is powerful enough to place you in a distant land and act out a story.

There are five places on the radar that catch my interest:

California – just to get a glimpse, even a sniff, of Hollywood life would be sensational, and I might catch sight of some stars while traversing over the famed walk and feeling like a fish out of water. Lying on a beach, actual California sand, and looking out at the Pacific Ocean, would trump all other places I’ve been so far. Eating authentic Pinks hotdogs, maybe attending a taping of a late night talk show. I would like to take a trip through Silicon Valley and google something from my smartphone while standing next to the Googleplex. This is all dreaming, of course.

Scotland – this is presumably where my ancestors originated, the Hammell name and all of its variations (seems to be of Norman origin, from a place called “Haineville” or “Henneville” and hawthorn, go here for the full details or use the site to check out your own name). To go back and maybe see people who resemble me would be inspirational or just funny. It’s stereotypical for people to think of Scots playing bagpipes when Scotland is mentioned, and this is true, but the country is a lot more developed beyond just that. I’ve never been much into golf and have never played it, but being in the place where it was created would thrill me. St. Andrews is the one place I would be sure to visit, as well as Loch Ness, namesake of the monster, Glasgow the largest city, and Edinburgh the capital and home to the Edinburgh Castle. Scotch whiskey and Scotch tape also were invented here. The famous Stonehenge is also around this area.

New York – I would like to be in Times Square on New Years Eve.

India – the most populated country in the world, the epicenter of human activity, where many bloggers are from. One of the richest countries in the world. I’d finally get a ride on a rickshaw and try some of that falafel.

Outerspace – okay, I’ll be reasonable…this has a .01% chance of happening but it is fun to dream of being one of the few handful of humans out of billions to have escaped the atmosphere of Earth. It would make me realize just how small we are in comparison to the rest of the universe. To look out at the blue marble through a space window and know that you are representing over seven billion people in a rare opportunity – maybe a scene from Gravity could be acted out while I’m up there.